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11/30/2018
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Sen. Raptakis and Sen. Morgan call for passage of bill that would require state to pay for street lights on state roads in Coventry fire districts
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STATE HOUSE – After today’s announcement that the Town of Johnston has reached a settlement with National Grid over street light utility payments on state roads, Sen. Leonidas P. Raptakis and Sen. Elaine J. Morgan are calling for the passage of legislation (2018-S 2501) they sponsored last session to require the state to pay for street light utility payments on state roads within the Coventry’s two fire districts.
“First of all, I’d like to thank Mayor Polisena for leading the way on this important issue for so many of Rhode Island’s cities and towns. It is not fair for our municipalities to be paying for necessary street lighting on state roads. This is an undue burden on Coventry’s finances and it is not something our town can afford. If my bill is passed, this would be a major windfall for Coventry’s residents and would free up much-needed funds for other crucial projects in the town,” said Senator Raptakis (D-Dist. 33, Coventry, East Greenwich, West Greenwich).
“If the General Assembly passes this legislation, it could mean thousands of dollars in savings for the local Coventry districts and I intend to fully support this legislation again when it is reintroduced by Senator Raptakis,” said Senator Morgan (R-Dist. 34, Hopkinton, Charlestown, Exeter, Richmond, West Greenwich).
Senator Raptakis plans to reintroduce the legislation during the 2019 General Assembly session. He has introduced the same bill every year since the 2013 session. The legislation would require the state to pay the energy costs necessary to supply public street lighting if the local utility district fails to do so, such as Coventry’s two fire districts.
For more information, contact:
Andrew Caruolo, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401)222-6124
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